Uddhav Thackeray slams Budget for ignoring city, state

Mumbai: Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has accused the Centre of doing injustice to Maharashtra and Mumbai in the Union Budget. It does not support development of basic amenities and on-going metro projects in Mumbai, he said on Saturday.

“The step-motherly treatment given to Maharashtra has become evident in the budget. The International Finance Centre in Gujarat has been strengthened, while Mumbai, which makes the highest contribution to the country’s development, has been ignored deliberately,” Mr Thackeray said.

There is no mention of developing suburban railway network, except for the mention of projects announced earlier, such as the Bullet Train, he added.

The CM said that the decision to divest a stake in LIC shows the precarious state of the economy. “This growth doesn’t have the potential to achieve Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dream of making India a USD 5 trillion economy nation,” he said.

Revenue min-ister Balasaheb Thorat said that the Union Budget is nothing but some old schemes, unrealistic announcements and figures thrown in together. Mumbai along with Maharashtra has been ignored once again. This year’s budget is directionless and even meaningless, he said.

Mr Thorat said that the budget is only good for ‘headline management’ and that there is nothing in it for the common man. “Where is Maharashtra in the budget. Mumbai and Maharashtra give the largest share of taxes to the Centre and despite the state did not get anything,” he added.

Former chief minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday said that the Union Budget has a futuristic vision, adding that the government has taken a strong step against the tax terrorism. “A 16-point plan to revive the farm and agriculture sector has also been given in the budget. This will help the farmers to double their income. From increasing the productivity to post-harvest technologies, market linkages, farmers will be at ease,” Mr Fadnavis said.